Gil hesitates as a fog begins to settle on his/her mind, but he/she pushes it back as Gelb makes his pitch.
Nodding, he/she adds, with a smoother voice, "No offense, you understand. It's only business."
Manfred's eyes narrow in suspicion. "What do you mean?"
"What do you mean what do I mean?!" Gelb replies.
"Guess I have to spell it out for you."
"Gath. The Lich. Offered us magic and gold to get rid of a small problem."
"Namely you."
"However..."
"I'm a greedy bastard and for the right incentive I can forget our mission. And for the RIGHT incentive, we can get rid of your small problem."
"What'd you say?" Gelb smiles.
Manfred lowers his hands slightly. "What sort of incentive?"
Gil offers, "That generally depends on the ... client and the ... task. There are different sorts of currency."
"I have much lore of ancient times. Once I have control of the temple, there are more tangible riches I can provide. What would persuade you to turn on your paymaster?"
"More gold and magic that was offered. Also, the right to loot Gath's sanctum."
Manfred considers for a moment. "You may not take the Keeper's holy blade. But other than that, very well.
"So how do you propose to slay the lich? You must destroy his phylactery too or he will rise again."
"Alas, the 'Boss' didn't see fit to tell us where he hid it or what it looked like. Trust issues you see."
"Do you have an idea?"
Gil raises a questioning eyebrow and looks at 'the new Boss'.
"I believe so." Manfred peers at the two changelings suspiciously. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"
"You don't. But you seem to read us better than our own mothers, so I think you have a pretty good idea. If that's not enough, you'll have to trust in our interest in self-preservation and financial gain. It's good to have nice things, but you can't spend your treasure if you're dead."
"Very well. So how do you propose to deal with Gath? He is very powerful."
"We have allies who are just as powerful. But I've found that surprise is sometimes the difference between living and dying...or undying."
"We need something from you to offer as proof of your 'demise' to get us close. Something Gath will recognize as coming from you but you are willing to part."
Manfred considers for a moment, then removes his holy symbol from around his neck. "Here, thake this, I have another. Gath will recognise it comes from."
"Excellent. Now the matter of the phylactery. I believe you had an idea of its form and location."
"Within Gath's inner sanctum there is an altar. Upon that altar is a small wooden box, very old and carved. This is his phylactery."
"Not very original. And I suspect it could be false but we'll see."
"Now then, I'm going to call my compatriots. Don't be alarmed."
Gelb gives a nod to the other changeling to call her friends.
"If I were you, I would make myself scarce. In the event we fail and Gath sends our undead bodies to take revenge."
"So be it." Manfred's body promptly dissolves into a column of black cockroaches which swarm up the wall and up a chute in the ceiling.
"Well, that was certainly interesting." Janosz wanders around the corner, looking up at the ceiling opening. "Roaches, eh?" He shakes his head in equal amounts of wonder and disgust.
Yeeeeesh!
What about his Earth Band?
Gelb passes the unholy symbol to the wizard. "Check that will you. I don't quite trust our new 'boss'."
"Shall we continue..."
What about his Earth Band?
"Wanna keep going? Only one way seems open." Janosz re-nocks his arrows and steps into the exit corridor.
"We should see this through."
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The group move on cautiously again. The corridor twists and turns but doesn't split, finally ending abruptly in a high, square room. Instead of rough-hewn stonework, the floor is smooth black marble and the walls and ceiling are decorated with mosaics. The walls depict skeletal figures cowering from the dominant figure depicted looming above on the ceiling: a robed and cowled figure clutching a scythe. At the far end of the room, closed stone double doors lead deeper into the temple.
know religion
"This is a shrine to the Keeper's aspect known as The Reaper."
"And...? What the f%!~ does that entail?"
"Don't know exactly. Bleak hymns and self flagellation probably. No bingo parlors."
"Gotta be connected with killing . We'd better find the f&!#ing trap in this room; it'll be more serious than the ones in the previous chapels."
"Aye...."
Nevharath looks around for signs of danger.
There are no obvious signs of a trap. But Gil notices that the marble floor seems to be inscribed in spidery writing with the words "To rest in eternal sleep" in multiple languages, both living and dead. It is not carved, but instead seems to have been almost grown in the rock, with the writing formed in the lighter grey ripples amid the darker substrate of the polished floor.
Detect magic on the writing.
The writing doesn't seem to specifically be magical, but there is a generalised aura of neromantic and conjuration magic suffusing the area.
Right on. "This place has necromancy and conjuration about the place; the writing doesn't give off any signals though."
Gil holds up a hand as she casts a divination of her own and studies the auras.
Gritting his teeth, Janosz steps into the chapel.
The expected magical assault doesn't materialise.
*noisy exhalation*
"Oh well. Judging from the previous rooms, we'll be OK until we try to leave... Does anyone know any Keeperish dogma? What do you say in a benediction to the Reaper?"